1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to hopper cars of a type having bottom dump opening doors such as may be used for discharging coal and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a hopper car bottom dump door arrangement wherein overlapping lightweight doors include a novel interlocking mechanism and hinge bracket arrangement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is typified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,515, Shaver, which illustrates a hopper door opening and closing mechanism for an interconnected pair of sequentially opening and closing bottom hopper doors. The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a hopper car door operating mechanism which includes pivoted hopper doors of a relatively lightweight and simplified construction.